Body Odor

About 3 parts baking soda in 1 part water works wonders! This is what I use on myself and I just rub it on with a cotton ball.

My 4 and a half year old totally gets smelly armpits and I've been wondering if that was normal! We are just taking more showers and really washing the armpits well! Aluminum antipersperants are bad news so I definitely wouldn't start that now.

I haven't experienced this, but before putting commercial deodorant or anti perspirant on her, consider using natural crystal deodorant. It can be found at natural food/health stores and I think I've seen it at the bigger HEBs. It works by coating the arm pit with the wet crystal (no chemicals) and the coating prevents bacteria from growing. The bacteria is what causes body odor. It's totally natural and harmless. I"m sure it would be fine for your little girl. They also have a spray version. Oh, and don't be put off by the price. I think mine was about $8 BUT it has lasted for over a year and I use it every day!

Antibacterial soap like dial should do the trick.

use anti- bacterial soap. Also, you could ask a doc but there are teen deodorants that have a berry smell. I do not see why that would hurt anything. Girls are very different then boys. for instance - my husband's feet do not smell. He could wear the same socks for days if he wanted to. However, my daughters and myself - whew! Most of all do not make it an issue because you do not want your daughter to feel bad about it.

For our little boys, we started using deodarant, nothing with antipersperant. The antipersperant part is what has the chemicals. The tricky part is getting them to remember to use it. It's hit or miss. It really is only in the evenings after running and playing that I notice, so I don't think it's something other kids are noticing.
Good luck!
K.

We noticed the same thing the other day with our daughter. We switched soaps and that seems to have worked. I gues the baby body wash just wasn't strong enough. Hope this helps.

You have a ton of great ideas,I would only add: be sure you get any odors out of her clothes. You can wash as normal and then soak them in white vinegar. Or just add white vinegar, 1 cup, to rinse water.
This usally removes the odor.

antibacterial soap is pretty harsh on skin so if she has sensitive skin at all you may not want to use that. If you do make sure to always moisturize afterwards. You may want to try and all natural deodorant. Most all natural deodorants are not antiperspirants though but they should help with the odor and will be safe for her and her skin.

I am the mother of 4 Boys, 18, 16, 15 & 7. And believe me, THEY STINK! :) or should I say did....

Fight it from the inside. Give her Zinc. It will help purge the toxins causing the odor. The body uses the mineral for many different things and depending on her actual needs, she will pee out what she doesn't need.

It's a little tiny pill that you can crush if she can't swallow pills yet.

Poor Baby. This happened to me. My breasts also started growing when I was 6yr. I made sure to wash very well everyday, and I used my mother's deodorant. Kids are cruel and will make fun of her. That is what happened to me before my mother took care of the problem. Make sure she drinks lots of water too. Bodies sweat due to over heating. Sweating is a way for the body to try to cool down. If she drinks lots of water, it will keep her bodily temperature regular and she will sweat less. (even with active)

My daughter has the same problem - she is now 11. Our doctor recommended using a stonge deoderant/anti-bacterial soap like Dial, Lifeboy or safeguard. Wash her armpits real well with the soap and a washcloth. It helps a great deal. Also you can use baking soda and some cornstarch mixture and just pat it on - it will absorb the moisture better than powder.
Good luck!

If you are interested in going the deodorant route there is a great aluminum free deodorant stick by Tom's natural care for sensitive skin, I purchased some at Target. Hope this helps.

My 5 yr old daughter came to me with smelly armpits a couple weeks ago and I was shocked! They smelled just like pubescent female underarm odor, but she had no other hormonal changes like hair growth or swollen breasts. We scrubbed her armpits really good at bathtime and used Dove Sensitive Skin/fragrance free deodorant, and that seemed to help. We changed from baby wash to Ivory soap a few months ago, so it's probably not the soap. She is very active like her 7 yr old brother (he doesn't have armpit odor yet--we sniffed him!), so I just assumed it was something to do with female hormones, but 5 is SO young. I forgot to ask our doctor the other day, so thanks for asking this question so I could read all the good advice! :)

Our 5 year old son has had the same problem for a little over a year. We started out using rock salt until it fell on the tile and shattered. We now use the Crystal stick and they have both worked great. We wanted to use something natural since he is so young. They both take care of the smell and have had no side effects. They can be found with the other deodorants at the store.

If you decide to try a deoderant, try to find something without alluminum. They carry them at Whole Foods.

DD,
Please don't try to prevent your daughter from sweating. It is a natural occurence that your body does to remove toxins from the body. sweat glands can start early for some children and that seems to be the case with your child. Like your doctor says, it happens to some and to others it doesn't. It's nothing "bad".
You can get nonscented deodorant (NOT anti-perspirant) at a regular grocery/drug store. Just pick up some next time you're shopping and apply a very light "coat" above/under your daughter's armpits. That should help cut down on the body odor. I wouldn't apply it directly to the sweat glands themselves for at least another few years.

HTH,
Jen

make sure she isnt eating alot of junk food. our baby boy has this every once in a while we scrub really good under his arms...i mean really good and it seems to help.

Hi, I had the same problem with one of my girls. Girls are not suppose to smell like that. May sound funny or strange, but trust me it worked. My grandmother told me to take a baking potato cut into slices and put rub underneath her arms. Trust me, trust me it worked. I also was told to use the Dial soap the gold bar or what I have always used is the Ivory soap. When I would go to a school function or by the time they get home it was horrible. I could smell her through her jacket. I know you will get alot of responses. I am a believer that it works. There is a lite deodorant that you can use Tussy and one other one, but I have a total brain freeze on the name.

Good Luck!!

If the baby powder doesn't seem to work I would try deoderant only. I wouldn't use something with an antipersperant. You may want to look in a natural foods store or something of the like.

Try mixing baking soda with the body powder. Baking soda is an odor absorbant. I won't hurt her. Body powder can be make by mixing cornstarch and baking soda.

There,s a new type of workout clothes with silver threads in the armpits. Silver is a natural antibacterial; killing all single celled organisms. The bacteria mixed with the sweat is what smells so: no bacteria no smell. This might be the least embarassing way for her to deal with it.

This happened with my friend's daughter too. She switched her to organic milk, and made sure her PJs and all other clothing were all cotton or linen so that they would breathe. She said that helped.

Dri Off Gel.....keeps the sweating away.
Recommend by my skin doctor...but make sure okay for kids.
I use myself. Must buy online.

All great suggestions.. Also remember to use the deodorant soap only on her arm pits and feet. It can be drying on other parts of her skin.

And make sure she is totally dried off after bath time.

There is a crystal stick that is a salt based product with no anti-perspirant in it that she can use. Sweat doesn't make you stink, it is when the sweat hits the bacteria that causes odor. Anti-perspirant reduces your bodies ability to sweat which is not healthy for anyone, especially a kid. The crystal stick (there is a spray also) reduces the bacteria which reduces the odor. When a person switches to this they will stink for a few weeks as your body spits out all the toxins from the anti-p, but when you are purged, the crystal stick will work. It is much safer for your body in the long run and will help her. Good luck!

My son is 2 1/2 years old and he sweats a lot and I have been putting deodorant on him since he was just over a year old, especially during the hotter days and when he is outside. I don’t know of an exact time when you are supposed to start using deodorant but I figured why not start. I use a degree roll on that goes on clear and has a baby powder sent. I buy the regular size for me and the travel size for him. I put it on him in the mornings and then at night after his bath. He knows that it is part of his routine just like using lotion and cleaning out the ears. I get the container out and he puts his arms up in the air. I recommend using so sort of deodorant and see if it helps.
Good Luck!!